The iPhone X is Not the Future of Tech

The iPhone X is Not the Future of Tech

Claudio Cambra asks where Apple intend to go with the new iPhone X

The iPhone X is Apple’s newest iPhone, which is being released on November 3rd 2017. It will cost $999 and come in two colours – black and white. The Cupertino giants describe the phone as “the future”.

I disagree.

If anything, it’s definitely new. The first thing Apple points out is the screen and the phone’s bezels, or rather the lack thereof. The device is certainly elegant. The notch makes the phone recognisable, but its existence just seems pointless, with the phone’s software design doing little to make it aesthetically pleasing. Even so, the rest of the device is undeniably sexy, with minute bezels, and shiny (and eventually grease-covered) glass all over. The OLED display is also impressive, displaying punchier colours and really, really black blacks.

After the polished presentation, Apple swiftly directs you to FaceID, which seems, for lack of a better word, okay. These kind of features always look impressive in keynotes, though even this is debatable here, considering Craig Federighi’s botched first attempt at using it onstage. We’ll have to wait until release to really see if it is as useful as Apple says, though even if it is, I’d still take a fingerprint scanner. Could we have both?

In addition, Apple are also offering upgrades in processors, cameras, and a new feature altogether in wireless charging, though this idea is neither new nor original. What’s more, many of these upgrades were also included in the iPhone 8.

A lot of these “incredible” upgrades are not so new to Android users. Tiny bezels were seen in 2014’s Sharp Aquos Crystal, OLED displays have been put in Galaxy S phones since the very first one was released in 2010, and wireless charging was introduced in 2013 with Google’s Nexus 5 model. You could argue that Apple have flawlessly combined all of these elements into one phone, but the Samsung Galaxy S8 pretty much did this too.

The iPhone X looks futuristic, but it is not the future.

To be rather scathing, it is more of a fashion accessory. For a lower price you could buy an iPhone 8, and you would be able to do exactly the same things that you can do on the new model. I could say the same of the iPhone 7, or the 6S, or even the 6.

The fact is that most major smartphones, released by all major tech companies in the last few years, are no longer that interesting. Hardware hasn’t gone anywhere significant recently, with manufacturers doubling down on simple improvements in performance. There is no life-altering component in the new iPhone which wasn’t already available on a previous iPhone, and this is also applicable to Samsung’s or LG’s devices.

This indicates that the future of tech development now lies in software, not in hardware. Indeed, this is beginning to be embraced, with developments such as Google Assistant paving the way for exciting prospects for phone users.

Until this is fully appreciated, though, Apple: I disagree with you. Siri might be the future, but the iPhone X is certainly not.

The iPhone X is Not the Future of Tech
Reviewed by Claudio Cambra on
October 24, 2017.

Claudio Cambra asks where Apple intend to go with the new iPhone X The iPhone X is Apple’s newest iPhone, which is being released on November 3rd 2017. It will cost $999 and come in two colours – black and white. The Cupertino giants describe the phone as “the future”. I disagree. If anything, it’s